Food & Nutrition

Types of Degrees Food & Nutrition Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many food & nutrition graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	1,249
Master’s Degree	602
Associate Degree	281
Basic Certificate	207
Graduate Certificate	40
Doctor’s Degree	12
Undergraduate Certificate	6

What Food & Nutrition Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to food & nutrition and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Food & Nutrition Majors

Food & Nutrition majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Food & Nutrition Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to food & nutrition:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Food & Nutrition Majors

As a food & nutrition major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

What Can You Do With a Food & Nutrition Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with food & nutrition:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Dietetic Technicians	9.3%	$27,140
Dietitians and Nutritionists	14.6%	$60,370

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Food & Nutrition?

The major attracts more women than men. About 78% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of food & nutrition majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	95
Black or African American	115
Hispanic or Latino	135
White	798
International Students	18
Other Races/Ethnicities	88

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Food & Nutrition, too. About 1.4% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Food & Nutrition

Some careers associated with food & nutrition require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to food & nutrition have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	13.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	34.8%
Some College Courses	3.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	15.4%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	13.8%
Master’s Degree	9.9%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	2.0%
Doctoral Degree	3.9%

Online Food & Nutrition Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	8	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	80	2
Bachelor’s Degree	13	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	41	10
Post-Master’s	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	7	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Food & Nutrition

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to food & nutrition.

Major	Number of Grads
Human Nutrition	1,098
Foodservice Systems Administration/Management	383
Other Foods, Nutrition, & Related Services	136

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.